Sport-Themed Rivalry Outfit with Separable or Switchable Components

ABSTRACT

A team sport rivalry outfit featuring removably separable fan and rival team sides and an identifier affixed to one or to both the fan team side and the rival team side to indicate a wearer&#39;s support for the fan team side and lack of support for the rival team side. The rivalry outfit may be configured as shirts, jackets, pants, hats, and skirts. The identifier is permanently or removably affixed to the fan team side or to the rival team side. The fan and rival team sides are permanently sewn together, or removably affixed to one another using hook and loop fasteners, zippers, snaps, or other standard removable closures.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Reference is made to and priority claimed from U.S. provisional application serial no. 62/529,651 filed on 24 Jul. 2017.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE EFS WEB SYSTEM

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to the field of team apparel bearing team specific identifying colors and visual designs meant to be worn by sports fans to show support for teams favored by the wearers, as well as acknowledge rivalries between teams, and not uniforms or apparel worn by team players when playing their particular sport.

Background Art

Rivalry between sports teams is an ancient phenomenon, going back thousands of years. Each team has a visually distinct sports outfit, combining specific colors, logos, and other designs to differentiate its players from those of the rival team. To show support for a specific team, fans often wear reproduction apparel mimicking their favorite team's uniforms, or a favorite player's specific uniform, commonly a team jersey bearing the player's number and/or name, or just apparel that bears the team's colors and logos to show support. Hats, hooded sweatshirts, t-shirts, shorts, pants, jackets, etc. are commonly printed with team logos and designs and are very popular items with fans of both professional and nonprofessional team sports. Retailers such as Target Corporation of Minneapolis, Minn., and Walmart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, Ariz., sell a variety of team sports themed clothing for local high school and university teams, as well as for professional sports teams.

Rivalries between teams encourage fans to support their own team, and at the same time disparage the rival team. Fans often wear their team's apparel, and perhaps wave signs disparaging the rival visiting team. There currently is no way to wear a single apparel item that shows both support for a fan's favorite team, and simultaneously disparages the rival team. Some fans will mix fan support apparel to show rivalries, which results in a confusing mix of attire. Does a person wearing a Pittsburgh Steeler's reproduction jersey and a Cleveland Brown's hat support the Steelers or the Browns? There is no way to tell. Some clever fans make their own rivalry/support shirts using paint on plain white t-shirts, but for each rivalry, this requires industrious fans to create many different shirts, a tedious and expensive activity in which the majority of fans are not willing to engage.

What is needed is an inexpensive and efficient way to customize a sports-themed apparel item in a way that makes the apparel item fully customizable to show different fan support-rivalries, as desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A team sport rivalry outfit in a first aspect of the invention having a fan team side and rival team side, the fan and rival team sides removably affixed to one another at an interface area using removable fasteners, and where a team fan or rival identifier is affixed to an appropriate fan or rival team side.

In a second aspect of the invention, the team sport rivalry outfit has two fan team sides, where both sides are for a same team or are different teams.

In a third aspect of the invention, the team sport rivalry outfit is configured as one of a shirt, pants, hat, or skirt.

In yet a fourth aspect of the invention, the identifier is removably affixed to one of the fan team side and the rival team side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented in connection with accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1a and 1b are front and back views of one example of a separable or switchable component outfit, shown as a t-shirt with a left separable or switchable portion and a right separable or switchable portion, with a front side and a back side of each of the left and right switchable portions both formed with a coupling mechanism, such as a zipper, loop and tape closures, buttons and buttonholes, etc. such that the front side of the left portion can be removably secured to the front side of the right portion, and back side of the left portion can be removably secured to the back side of the right portion. A fan team logo is depicted as a circle, and a rival team logo is depicted as a square in the Figures. An identifier, depicted as a permanent or removably affixed rectangle in the Figures further identifies the rival team side of the outfit.

FIGS. 2a and 2b are front and back views of another example of a separable or switchable component outfit, shown using hook and loop closure tape.

FIGS. 3-4 show front and side views, respectively, of a separable outfit according to the invention, as a pair of shorts or pants with one side of the shorts or pants featuring the logos and designs of rival teams on opposite sides and removably affixed in FIG. 3 along a crotch seam of the shorts or pants, and in FIG. 4 along an outer and inner seam of the shorts or pants in FIG. 3.

FIGS. 5-6 show an embodiment of the separable outfit according to the invention where a sleeve or a leg of the outfit is separable and interchangeable. In FIG. 5, the sleeve portion of the outfit is removably attached to an armhole of the shirt using zippers, hook and loop closures, etc. FIG. 6 shows half of a pair of long pants, on a left side of the Figure, and half of a pair of shorts, on a right side of the Figure, and shows a bipartite leg where a separable portion is removably attached to a fixed portion, shown with two possible locations of the interface area, a lower interface area approximately at a knee or just above the knee for a pair of pants (on the left side of the Figure), and an upper interface area, approximately mid-thigh, for a pair of shorts (on the right side of the Figure).

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a front view and side view, respectively, of a rivalry themed hat bearing two different team designs.

FIG. 9 shows a side view of a rivalry themed skirt.

DRAWINGS LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

The following is a list of reference labels used in the drawings to label components of different embodiments of the invention, and the names of the indicated components:

-   100 sport-themed rivalry outfit with separable or switchable     components or rivalry outfit -   10 a fan side of outfit -   10 b rival side of outfit -   10 c interface area -   10 d front side of outfit -   10 e back side of outfit -   10 f identifier (rival or fan, depending on which side of the     rivalry outfit the identifier is positioned) -   12 separable fastener (zipper, hook and loop, buttons, etc.) -   14 sleeve -   14 a armhole -   14 b shoulder -   14 c wrist -   16 crotch seam -   18 outer seam -   18 b inner seam -   20 leg -   20 a separable portion of leg -   22 hat

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A sport-themed rivalry outfit with separable or switchable components according to the invention or rivalry outfit 100 is shown in FIGS. 1a -9, the invention displaying a team rivalry as well as a fan's support for his or her team. This is applicable to nonprofessional teams, such as college teams, as well as to professional teams and country national teams, and is useful for any number of sports outfits, or athletic-casual wear, such as shirts, which includes jerseys, t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, and hoodies; pants, which includes shorts, sweat pants, and long trousers; hats; and skirts, including short and long skirts, and “skorts”, which are combined shorts and skirts in a single garment.

The rivalry outfit 100 is created by joining two rival or opposing team outfits into a single apparel item, for instance, a t-shirt, where a fan side 10 a of the rivalry outfit features a design identifying a fan favorite team, and a second or rival side 10 b features a design for a rival or opposing team as well as an additional indicator, an identifier 10 f serving as a rival side identifier when located on the rival side 10 b as in the Figures, or a fan side identifier when located on the fan side (not shown), to distinguish between the fan and rival teams, and show fan support of the fan team. Both the fan side 10 a and the rival side 10 b have a front side 10 d and a back side 10 e, such that an entire side, front and back are a rival side, or a fan side. Note that generally, an entire side or half of the outfit, front and back, is for a same team, as shown in FIGS. 1a-b and 2a - b.

The fan side 10 a and the rival side 10 b are removably affixed to one another by a variety of separable fasteners 12, such as zippers, buttons-buttonholes, hook and loop closures, snaps, etc. In FIGS. 1a-b , the separable fastener 12 shown along the interface 10 c is a zipper. The fan is able to removably fasten the fan side 10 a to the rival side 10 b by simply aligning the interface area of the two sides and fastening the fastener. In the example shown in FIGS. 1a-b , there is a front zipper or front fastener on a front of the rivalry outfit as well as a back zipper or back fastener on a back of the rivalry outfit. Hence, if looking at the outfit in FIGS. 1a-b , an entire right side of the outfit, the right front side and from a back view, a left back side, feature the fan side 10 a designs, and an entire left side of the outfit, the left front side and from a back view, a right back side, feature the rivalry side 10 b designs.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show two embodiments of a rivalry outfit 100 configured as a pair of shorts, where the interface area 10 c is one of a crotch seam 16 as in FIG. 3, or an outer seam 18 as in FIG. 4. In the case of FIG. 4, two outer seams 18 and hence two interface areas 10 c exist, where the fan side 10 a is typically the front of the rivalry outfit 100 and the rival side 10 b is typically the back of the rivalry outfit, although the reverse is also possible. FIGS. 5-6 show another embodiment of the rivalry outfit according to the invention, where a sleeve 14 or leg 20 of the rivalry outfit 100 is separable from a remaining portion of the rivalry outfit. FIGS. 7-8 show yet another embodiment of the rivalry outfit 100 configured as a hat. In all embodiments, the separable fasteners 12 located along the interface area 10 c, typically along traditional garment sewing seams, such as armholes in FIG. 5, and crotch and side seams in FIGS. 3-4, allow the fan to remove the rival side 10 b of one team and replace with another rival side of a second team at any time. Alternatively, in yet another embodiment, the fan side and the rival side can be permanently sewed together. The inventor also notes that the fan can fasten two fan sides together to make a complete rivalry outfit 100, as would be in the case of multi-sport fans from a same city. The inventor lives in Pittsburgh, and it is common for fans to support two or more of the city's sports teams, so a rivalry outfit 100 may have two fan sides 10 a, one for the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, and the other side for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team, for instance. Or alternatively, the fan could put together the Pittsburgh Steelers football team side as a fan side and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers (a local university football team in Pittsburgh that also plays at a same stadium as the Steelers) on the “rival” side, even though both teams are supported by the fan. The fan could also create a two-side rival outfit, by putting together two same or different rival sides together. For example, a Michigan fan who despises Ohio State could purchase two different rival sides 10 b for Ohio State and join them together. The inventor stresses that the rivalry outfit according to the invention 100 allows the fan complete flexibility in expressing team support as well as rivalry in a single convenient outfit.

The inventor points out that while his invention in the Figures generally shows the rival side 10 b as a left side of the outfit from the viewpoint of another looking directly at a front side of the outfit, that the fan side 10 a can easily be located on the left side of the outfit and the fan-rival sides reversed. The rival side 10 b in FIGS. 1a-b and FIGS. 2a-b with a rival side identifier 10 f, is shown generally as a patch or alternatively as a functioning removable pocket, bearing on its outer face an additional word “WHO?” as a way to identify and discredit the rival side, but in a tasteful manner that serves to distinguish the fan side from the rival side, the “WHO?” referring to “Who cares about this team? Not me!” Other words or phrases can also be used to distinguish between fan and rival sides, although the inventor stresses that he wishes to “keep it clean” and not include overly disparaging or otherwise offensive language on the outfits. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1a-b and FIGS. 2a -b, the rival side identifier 10 f is removably affixed using hook and loop closures, or some other known form of removable fastener, to allow interchanging of the rival side identifier to a variety of alternative words and/or phrases as desired by the fan.

The inventor notes that the removable rival side identifier 10 f could also be affixed to a variety of places on the rival side 10 b, especially if hook and loop fasteners are used, and in yet another embodiment, the rival side 10 b is made of a fabric such as terrycloth, fleece, microfiber, etc. that mimics a loop side of hook and loop removable fasteners, and as such, one or more rival side identifiers 10 f formed with a “hook” type fastener on a backside of the identifier 10 f can be positioned along any area of the rival side 10 b, allowing a variety of phrases and/or images to be positioned on the rival side. Similarly, the inventor notes that the fan side 10 a could also be configured out of a same “loop” type fabric, and thus the identifier 10 f, if positioned on the fan side would serve as fan side identifiers, and could be removably positioned on the fan side, such as jersey numbers of favorite team players, photos of favorite players, and phrases or words of encouragement for the fan team, etc.

In the embodiment where the fan side 10 a and the rival side 10 b are both made of the same “loop” type fabric, the fastener 12 could simply be a strip of “hook” type fabric that is completely separable from either side, or affixed to one side and overlapping the other side so as to join the fan and rival sides together at the interface area 10 c. Also, a same type of fastener does not have to be used on the entire rivalry outfit; for instance, the rivalry outfit shown in FIGS. 1a-b and FIGS. 2 a-b could feature hook and loop closures along the back side interface area, and a zipper along the front side interface area so as to make a type of light jacket.

As an alternative to using “loop” type fabric, the rivalry outfit could also have a series of either male or female snaps formed along desired areas of the outfit, such as along the front face of the outfit, with the rivalry identifier 10 f having a corresponding female or male snap to allow interchanging the identifier without using “loop” type fabric.

The inventor also notes that using snaps or hook and loop fasteners along the interface area 10 c allows the rivalry outfits shown particularly in FIGS. 1-4 to be sizably adjusted, so as to make the rivalry outfit larger to perhaps accommodate a warm jacket underneath simply by adjusting where the fan and rival sides are removably affixed along the interface area 10 c.

The inventor also notes that the fan side and the rival side can be permanently affixed to one another by sewing, gluing, heat fusing, or other similar permanent means, in the case of established team rivalries where the fan is not interested in switching rival or fan sides.

The inventor notes that any trademarks shown in the Figures belong to their respective trademark owners and the invention described herein is for the idea of separable or switchable outfit components for team rivalries, and not intended to capture or tread upon trademark or copyrights that exist in the team designs.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are only illustrative of the application of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. For instance, aside from the use of “loop” type fabrics mentioned previously, the rivalry outfit can be made of numerous suitable fabrics and the rival or fan sides can be permanently sewn together, or removably affixed using hook and loop tape, buttons, snaps, zippers, etc. and the inventor notes that different sides of the rivalry outfit can be made of different fabrics, as desired. Similarly, the removable pant legs and sleeves can be made of a different fabric from the rest of the rivalry outfit with good results. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A team sport rivalry outfit, comprising: a fan side having a front side with a front interface area, and a back side having a back interface area; a rival side having a front side with a second front interface area, and a back side having a back interface area; and a identifier affixed to at least one of the rival side and the fan side; wherein the fan side along the front interface area is affixed to the rival side front interface area; and wherein the fan side along the back interface area is affixed to the rival side back interface area.
 2. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 1, wherein the fan side consists of a first team design and the rival side consists of a second team design.
 3. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 2, wherein the first team design and the second team design are of opposing or rival teams.
 4. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 2, wherein the first team design and the second team design are different designs of a same team.
 5. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 2, wherein the first team design and the second team design are both favored teams and are from a same or a different team sport.
 6. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 1, wherein the fan side and the rival side are removably affixed along the front interface area and the back interface area.
 7. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a rival side identifier affixed to the rival side.
 8. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 7, wherein the identifier is removably affixed and repositionable on the rival side.
 9. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 1, wherein the identifier is a fan side identifier affixed to the fan side.
 10. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 9, wherein the identifier is removably affixed and repositionable on the fan side.
 11. The rivalry outfit in claim 1, wherein the article of clothing is selected from the group consisting of shirts, hats, and skirts.
 12. A team sport rivalry outfit, comprising: a front side; a back side affixed to the front side; a separable portion removably affixed to the front side and the back side; an interface area formed along the front side and the back side where each side adjoins the separable portion; a removable fastener formed along the interface area of both the front side and the back side, and along the separable portion; wherein the separable portion is at least one of a rival team side and a fan team side; and further comprising a identifier; wherein the identifier is affixed to at least one of the rival team side and the fan team side.
 13. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim 12, wherein the separable portion is a shirt sleeve.
 14. The team sport rivalry outfit in claim in claim 12, wherein the separable portion is a pant leg. 